If you’d like to compete:

Pre-register by filling out This Form. Then checkout with PayPal or a credit card via the Pay Now button below. Register early for limited spots. Late or on-site registration may not be available and you will not be guaranteed a t-shirt.

Sign and submit the forms below to Info@AlohaArborist.com. Contestant signatures on these forms is mandatory; employer signature is not. Failure to submit will result in disqualification from competition.

If You Would Like to Sponsor this Event:

*Competition T-shirt designs will be submitted on December 15th, 2018. Sponsorship received after this deadline will not be featured on the competition shirt design, but will be featured in all other promotional materials, social media postings, and souvenir t-shirts (if they are commissioned).*

Thank you for your contribution! We look forward to this opportunity to work together and build a relationship to achieve our common goals.

A curious White Tern hovers to get a better look. (Photo by Angela Liu)

Aloha Arborist Association is happy to announce our successful application for funding of a new project, “Tree Care Guidelines & BMPs for Manu-o-Kū Nesting Sites.” We will be working with the City and County of Honolulu Division of Urban Forestry, DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hui Manu-o-Kū, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and others to develop guidelines for working near nest sites of manu-o-Kū, or White Terns.

Manu-o-Kū (Gygis alba), is one of the few protected native bird species to inhabit urban areas on Oahu. In 1961, a breeding pair was observed nesting in Honolulu for the first time. Since then, the species adopted Honolulu neighborhoods as their home. Manu-o-Kū was named Honolulu’s official bird in 2007, and there are now nearly 1,400 nesting sites in nearly 1,000 trees in the densest parts of Oahu.

Our landscaping and tree trimming community has had to adapt to the increasingly common presence of manu-o-Kū in Honolulu trees. The aim of this project is to fill in the gaps and inconsistencies in how we work around manu-o-Kū nesting sites, spread the word on best practices, help our professionals in the field get their work done smoothly, and protect the manu-o-Kū.

We’re looking to working with the arboriculture and landscaping community, so stay tuned for details about upcoming meetings and opportunities to participate. If you have any questions or comments at this time, or would like to be added to the email list for this project, please drop us a line at info@alohaarborist.com, or call (808) 518-6141.

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Thanks to:TheKaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife; and State and Private Forestry, branch of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Region 5 • City and County of Honolulu for providing printing • All our project partners for their participation.

During hurricanes and other storm events, damaged trees and branches can become entangled in highly unstable positions. This can be true whether they are fallen or still standing. If you cut or try to move trees or branches, they can shift, fall, snap or “jump” toward you unexpectedly, potentially injuring or crushing anyone nearby. Homeowners should move debris only when absolutely necessary to perform other vital tasks, such as evacuating to safety. Get professional help to clean up damaged trees or hanging branches around your property.

NEVER, under any circumstances, go near any downed utility lines, including electrical feeds to houses. Nearby trees or branches, even when they are not in direct contact, can be energized and can result in injury or death by electrocution. Stay at least thirty feet away from downed power lines, more if possible. If you see any downed electrical wires, call (855) 304-1212.

Professional arborists and tree workers play critical role during storm recovery

The tree care industry will play a vital role in relief and cleanup efforts after Hurricane Lane. Storm related work is extremely hazardous, and becomes even more so for those of you keeping long hours. Professionalism is more critical than ever during this period.

The integrity and strength of trees and branches can be compromised after a storm. In addition, when pruning storm-damaged trees, it can be hard or impossible to accurately assess the reaction of tree debris under tension or compression. Be extra careful to always maintain awareness of your position at all times while you work. All tree care workers must use their personal protective equipment, and thoroughly inspect all safety features of your equipment and tools. Avoid any pressures to start cutting corners with your equipment or safety practices.

Please leave all utility line clearance to the your local electric company. Treat all lines as potentially energized with dangerous to fatal current. Avoid conducting any operations within 30 feet of downed lines if possible. On Oahu, contact Hawaiian Electric’s Vegetation Management Department at (808) 543-7836 to report trees or other vegetation impacting lines.

The efforts of our community of professional arborists and tree workers are greatly appreciated. Aloha Arborist Association thanks you in advance for the work you’ll be doing after Hurricane Lane. Please be safe out there!

From August 14th to 18th, 2018, Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture partnered with organizations on the four major Hawaiian islands to bring 2017 ANSI updates to our region’s arboriculture professionals. Gordon Mann, WCISA past president and current board member of the International Society of Arboriculture, demonstrated how tree companies and public urban forestry agencies can integrate the recent updates to national pruning, safety and other standards into their operations.

It was a full house at Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden (photos above and below) where the event took place on Oahu. On Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii Island, good turnouts also helped make for a successful event across the state. Thanks to Kauai Landscape Industry Council, Maui Green and Beautiful, Hawaii Island Landscape Association, and University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service for helping make this event possible.

Field exercises in the afternoon helped get everyone talking about how standards are applied. Notice all those blue T-shirts? Those are employees of the City & County Division of Urban Forestry, and Honolulu Botanical Gardens, turning out to maintain high professional standards in arboriculture. With Hurricane Lane upon us, there’s no rest for arborists and tree workers – let’s keep learning, stay safe keep up the ANSI good work!

Distribution: Big Island – widespread; Oahu, Maui and Kauai – localized detections are being managed by public agencies. LFA is not known to be present in Lanai or Molokai at this time.

Description: Little fire ants will live in trees, including very tall trees such as coconut, shrubs, as well as in the ground and inside houses. In warm, shady and moist environments, LFA can grow to 20,000 ants per square meter with dozens of queens. The Hawai’i Ant Lab gets calls from people at their wit’s end when their children and pets are being stung every day. Once established, LFA are very difficult to eradicate. Tree workers are much more vulnerable to being stung by them while up in a tree or while working on the ground, and they may make an infested tree off-limits. When you feel the sting, like a burning rash, the ants are already gone. Little fire ants cultivate sap-feeding pests in the trees they inhabit, and are suspected of driving away both native and exotic birds and other insectivores. Where there is LFA, pest problems in agricultural settings and forests multiply, and may contribute to canopy dieback and declines in orchards and forest health. LFA infestations have caused humans to abandon use of their properties on other Pacific islands, and have the potential to cause widespread ecosystem damage if keystone organisms are affected.

Control: The Hawai’i Ant Lab recommends “sputter and jelly” to attract and collect ants for identification – a mix of peanut butter + jelly (not sugar-free, of course) + spam. All suspected LFA infestations should be reported to 643-PEST or www.reportapest.org. Do not try to manage LFA on your own. Research on biological controls has been under way but has not yet produced results. A multi-pronged approach including systemic pesticides, baits, treatment of infested materials, and reducing LFA-friendly conditions, is the best way to handle LFA problems. Currently, on Oahu, Maui and Kauai, the current strategy is the complete eradication of known populations, followed by multi-year monitoring.

Asterococcus Prob. yunnanensis

Mahalo to the Hawaii Dept of Agriculture Plant Pest Control Branch, and Janis Matsunaga for the information and photos in this post. For more details, see: “Asterococcus sp. prob. yunnanensis Borchsenius (Hemiptera: Cerococcidae): A New Exotic Scale Insect Pest in Hawaii and the U.S.,” October 2016. https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi/files/2017/01/Asterococcus-yunnanensis-flyer.pdf

Distribution: This scale probably originated in China. In Hawaii, this new scale pest is so far found only in Waimea, Hawaii Island.

Hosts: In Waimea, hosts include Rhaphiolepis indica, Gardenia taitensis, and Rhododendron sp. (three different plant families). Elsewhere, hosts in three other family also are known.

Damage: Ornate pit scale feeding can result in major levels of sooty mold, which in turn causes twig bieback, defoliation, and sometimes plant death.

Control: Scale problems in general can be managed through a combination of monitoring for both the pest and effects on plant health, optimizing plant health, protecting natural enemies, and hiring a professional to apply narrow-range oils or insecticidal soaps that are more effective against scale pests.

Maui Green and Beautiful and Aloha Arborist Association:

“Thanks!”

To everyone who came to enjoy the day together,
to our competitors for your inspiration and
dedication to the profession, to our
partners and volunteers for helping everyone
have a great time, and especially to our sponsors
CMI • TreeStuff • TrueWerk • WesSpur

Description: Cankers are sunken areas of dead tissue or splits in the bark or epidermis of branches, stems, or trunks of woody plants. They’re primarily caused by pathogenic fungi or bacteria and by physical injuries.

Symptoms and Damage: Branch dieback in the upper/outer canopy is often the first noticeable symptom of a canker disease. Foliage on affected branches wilts and turns brown or black. Bark develops sunken areas, with a sharp margin between healthy and diseased tissue, sometimes associated with stem bleeding (oozing sap). Often, but not always, sapwood will show staining as seen in the photo below. Stems, branches, or entire trees can become girdled or die as bark death progresses.

Control• Plant landscape species that are adapted to the local environment in well-drained soils.

• For safety, prune away dead or dying branches, as they may dislodge and fall. Make pruning cuts within the healthy wood, away from the diseased wood. Remove and destroy dead or dying trees or pruned branches.

• Maintain optimum plant vigor by using recommended practices for nutrition, pruning, and irrigation for each tree or plant species. Moderate applications of slow-release fertilizers may improve the health of infected plants; avoid over-fertilization.

Arborists are concerned about land mollusks – snails, slugs, and semi-slugs – because ornamental woody plants provide hiding places for these pests. Tree seedlings, young leaves and tree fruit also provide forage for these gastropods.

Exotic snail species are introduced when plant materials (landscaping supplies, Christmas trees, etc.) are brought to Hawaii. Introduced land snail species (98 species introduced, 45 established) threaten already precarious populations of native land snail species. Nurseries also have been unintended reservoirs for invasive snails and slugs, which are introduced into new areas when infested tree stocks are planted out.

Giant African snail, juvenile

Disease Vectors: Diverse snail and slug species can host the nematode causing rat lungworm disease, Angiostrongylus cantonensis. A semislug (which has a small soft shell) Parmarion martensi has become more widespread, is much smaller and able to hide better, and carries twice the load of nematodes compared to other snails. The nematode itself is spreading globally – though infections are still relatively rare, the symptoms of this type of meningitis can be severe. Snails in certain areas on the Big Island have been found to be carriers, and it was reported that about 5% of snails and slugs on Oahu may carry the nematode.

Control: To get effective control against most species, use of a combination of methods as part of arboricultural practices.
• Pick snails and slugs near sundown – wear gloves, and remove or monitor hiding places, avoid frequent watering especially late in the day, and set traps by laying down slightly raised wooden boards that are checked regularly.
• Copper bands or screens, or a Bordeaux mixture can be used in limited areas to exclude snails.
• Beer in beer traps goes stale within days, and is not as effective as other methods.
• Iron-phosphate based baits are relatively safe for pets and wildlife.
• Bait containing metaldehyde should be kept away from aquatic organisms and domestic animals.